Frequently Asked
Questions and Answers for
New
Space To Share Our Faith Capital Campaign
What Is
The History of the Project?
A Building and Grounds
Committee was established in 2003 to research and evaluate a possible
renovation project for St. Mary of the
Although the campaign
had experienced more than $1.4 million of success it had stagnated with little
or no momentum to complete the goal amount. Parish leadership recognized that a
decision about the campaign’s future was in order. Convinced of the need for
the capital project -- as the limitations of access, space and efficiency was
still present-- Father Russell, staff and campaign leadership believed an
assessment of the campaign strategy was necessary to identify how to proceed.
The parish hired a fundraising consultant to identify what would be
needed to fundraise the final goal. An Assessment Study was completed,
which pointed out favorable as well as challenging conditions. Many positive
recommendations were suggested to move forward. Based on this information, the
consultant instituted a proven fundraising strategy, which is being managed by
the consultant and led by approximately 50 parishioners.
CONSTRUCTION
What Will Be
Included in the Renovation Plans?
Renovation goals to
improve the parish’s ability to do God’s work for St. Mary’s spiritual
community include:
·
Developing
a Gathering Space to provide fellowship, ease of movement for liturgy during
sacraments of baptism, confirmation, weddings, funerals, etc.
·
Expanding
space for our multi-generation faith program.
·
Providing
an elevator for handicapped accessibility so we can best serve our elderly
parishioners and those with physical limitations.
·
Renovating
our kitchen to upgrade equipment and meet safety codes.
·
Increasing
seating capacity 40% in fellowship hall by relocating the kitchen and offices
and removing pillars.
·
Providing
a sprinkler system for fire safety.
·
Replacing
bathrooms with ones more accessible and easy to locate as well as comply with
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
·
Rebuilding
the roof to eliminate further problems with damage and decay.
·
Replacing
windows with energy efficient ones.
·
Upgrading
furnaces and air conditioning equipment which are antiquated and causing
operational inefficiencies.
How Was The Square Footage Determined?
The size and scope was
determined by space usage studies which were completed with the architect and
in coordination with many parish volunteers who provided input on services to
support parish faith life. Those involved in the planning chose to include
space to accommodate current needs and future growth.
Who
Determined What Would Be Included in the Plans?
The Building and
Grounds Committee helped analyze and address current and future needs to
support parishioners. A number of key areas were identified which needed
serious attention through a renovation and building project. The Committee
adopted the following Mission Statement to cover the focus of their work:
“To assess and recommend solutions which will provide
for the present and future structural needs of our parish. To provide an environment to better connect
with our God and others as individuals and families. To insure the propagation of our Catholic
heritage and faith for generations to come.
To be a visible sign that Jesus is our all and welcomes all.”
Initially, volunteers
included a sub committee of the Parish Council: Carol Ferguson, Doug Grisim,
Larry Himanga, Rich Kaufman, Mike Kieffer, Ann Nibbe, Bill Ogle, Father
Russell, Dennis Spano, Lois Tepley and Ken Willers. Today, planning and
re-evaluating details involves 50 plus parish members. Please refer to the “Reasons
Why” Document for the current listing of all those directly involved in this
effort.
Is The Parish Expected To Grow? Will This
Renovation Be Enough To Serve the Parish for Many Years?
The Diocese is
currently in crises mode in regards to availability of priests. When Father
Russell and Father Meyer retire to senior priest status, the clustering program
developed under Bishop Vlazny and revised and approved by Bishop Herrington,
will go into effect. This means that the
parish of West Albany will cluster with
How Much From Seeds of Faith Fundraising Campaign
Will Go Toward This Project?
We will shift capitol
from those designated accounts for renovation which were fundraised for the
Seeds of Faith campaign into our general Diocesan savings account and use it
for the campaign.
How Much Do We Have and How Much Needs to Be
Fundraised in a Private Capital Campaign?
In the first year of our campaign we have fundraised approximately $1.4
million which includes the Diocesan matching funds. Of that amount, we already
have $700,000 secured in cash that is accruing interest at 5%. With a goal of $3.2 million we have an additional
$1.8 million to raise. In order to begin
we must have 50% of this in cash and the other 50% in committed pledges.
What Will Be The Annual Operating Costs For
the Renovated Building?
Cost estimates by design engineers comparing
our current operating costs to the projected operating costs of the proposed
new facility actually show a reduction in operating costs for the space we
currently have; the Church and
How Will This Facility Serve the Parish?
The “Reasons Why” Committee has reviewed
planning to this stage and identified the key benefits for St. Mary’s
parishioners. A companion document,
“Reasons Why We Need New Space to Share Our Faith”, to this FAQ document should
be read to fully understand “How This Facility Will Serve the Parish”.
How Do We Know That
The Campaign Will Be Successful?
We know that in order
to be successful every registered parish member must pray and be thoughtful
about their capacity to give sacrificially in order for this project to be
successful. The table below shows what
the St. Mary of the
|
WHAT |
WHEN |
* NUMBER OF FAMILIES |
NUMBER OF
$'S AT TIME |
** NUMBER OF
EQUIV 2007 $'S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1877 |
150 |
$
20,600 |
$
3,509,414 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1923 |
Not Applicable donated by the McCahill's |
$
50,000 |
$
1,348,250 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADD CHAPEL TO CONVENT AND
OTHER MAINT ITEMS |
1956 |
|
$
80,000 |
$
591,250 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BUILD GATHERING SPACE,
OFFICES, CLASSROOMS AND OTHER MAINTENANCE ITEMS |
2008 |
600 |
$
3,200,000 |
$
3,200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
** |
Equivalent 2007 dollars
assume a 4% average rate of inflation |
|||
|
* |
Note that in 1877 150
families raised more dollars that 600 families are being asked to raise in
2007. |
|||
As can be seen from
the table above, there has not been a major campaign requesting this level of
sacrificial giving since the original church was constructed in 1877. It can also be seen that even though in this
campaign we are raising slightly fewer dollars, we have four times the number
of families to give.
To help assure a
successful campaign, a Campaign Steering Committee has been formed under the
leadership of Dennis Spano, Mark Nichols and Greg Schreck. They will lead the approximately $1.8 million
campaign, which when added to the dollars raised in the first year will achieve
the $3.2 million required for construction.
As the Diocese is now
offering an additional two years for us to complete our pledges, we will
revisit those who pledged and contributed to the first campaign with a request
to consider a pledge or outright gift for the additional two years. We will
also have a process for personally soliciting those individuals who were not
solicited during the first effort.
A
proven strategic fundraising process is being implemented with leadership by approximately
50 volunteers, with involvement of many more volunteers in the future. A
fundraising consulting firm, Crescendo Consulting, L.L.P., with a proven track
record of assisting small, rural areas in successful capital campaigns has been
hired to manage the campaign. The initial effort did not incorporate a
comprehensive strategy managed weekly by an experienced professional to support
the fundraising efforts of parishioners.
How Much Has Been
Spent On Architectural and
Planning Costs
So Far?
$272,000 has
been spent on research, design and plans which we own. The cost we have
incurred for architectural design, which is usually 10% for renovation and 8%
on new construction, is consistent with most architects and facility costs. These
costs are not uncommon with projects of this magnitude. These costs were incurred in order to specify
a facility update that best met the needs, as defined by numerous meetings with
parish organizations and free form input from all interested parish members. All of this input was then scrubbed down to
what was needed in order to accommodate our Faith Community needs for the
foreseeable future. The resulting design
is that which is being brought forward to be funded by this capital campaign.
The comforting
part of this design is that an entirely new set of committee members met from
June through October of this year and concluded once again that the proposed
design is an excellent solution to our needs.
In
addition, since $272,000 has already been paid to the architect for the nearly
completed plans, it would be wasteful, without overwhelming evidence that the
current plan is seriously deficient, to start over with a new plan which would
require additional architectural costs.
Why Do We Need To
Spend Money On A Gathering Space?
Many older area churches
and parishes have undergone successful and beneficial renovations as needs of
faith communities have shifted and developed in the last century.
How Will This Project
Help Our Faith Grow?
According to Father
Russell, “Personally, I believe this project will attract new members, create a
much greater sense of community, enliven our faith and bolster our spirits to
serve God all the more. Reports have shown that since our friends at First
Lutheran have built their new building, weekend attendance has doubled.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had to add another weekend Mass?”
Is This Project God’s
Will?
“God’s
will is truly what is primary”, says Father. “Through prayer, consultation,
hard work, and study we seek to discern what God desires of us. I’m at peace with
your grassroots input. The many hours of hard work by all of the committees and
the enthusiasm of so many parishioners is a clear sign that we should go ahead
with the entire project. Perhaps God will soften our hearts to make it easier
for all of us to give of our time, talents and treasures.”
Who Made This Decision
To Renovate or Not to Renovate?
The
Parish Council, Finance Committee and the Building and Grounds Committee, as
well as several other fundraising task forces, have been working together on
this project with more than 100 suggestions from parishioners over the last
three years. This was revisited by an
entirely new set of eyes when the campaign stalled at 1.4 million and the
conclusion remained the same. Please see
the “Reasons Why” which outlines specific details included in the planning
process.
Why Do We Need To Complete
This Project Right Now?
Costs to renovate
cannot be put off much longer and will only increase. Serious maintenance
issues were identified in 2005 with an estimated cost to fix of $688,000. The Parish Council along with the Building
and Grounds committee recognized that these fixes really did not address the
strategic needs of our Faith Community.
The proposal being put forth today addresses both the strategic as well
as the tactical maintenance issues.
However, IF we were to address only the maintenance issue and THEN two
to three years from now decided we really need the gathering space, a more
spacious fellowship hall and new administrative offices most all of $688,000
would have to be destroyed to make those strategic changes a reality. Therefore, it is much more cost effective to
complete the renovation and expansion instead of providing a band-aid approach
which would in all likelihood need to be redone later.
Shouldn’t We Give Our
Money To The Missions Instead of Such An Expensive Undertaking?
We already are a
tithing parish for the poor. That is, we are giving in excess of 10% of our
income for the needy.
Is The School Going to
Have a Flat Roof?
No. The roof will have
a slight pitch which will help eliminate some of our problems.
The Elevator is
$72,000. Can We Eliminate It?
It is very important
that the entire facility is handicapped accessible for those with physical
limitations. The primary reason for the
elevator is to provide access to the second floor of the McCahill
building. The McCahill building, when
renovated, will be for all practical purposes an entirely new building. The per square foot cost of the McCahill
portion, including the elevator, is approximately $106 per square foot. This is the least expensive cost of any of
the components in our project and considerably less than what it would cost to
tear down the McCahill building and replace it.
NET: Rather than an unnecessary
expense the elevator is a means to hold down the costs by salvaging space we
already have.
Can We Afford To Lose
Seating In The Church?
We will lose seating for about 10 persons by
the new center doorway from the Church to the Gathering space. Access to the balcony remains undecided. In any case there have only been a couple of
times a year, typically Christmas and Easter, when we have been truly
challenged to accommodate all who wish to attend a service. With our new Gathering space we will have
either through direct sight lines from the Gathering space and/or through closed
circuit TV, the ability for overflow congregants to participate in our
services.
Is It Really Worth the
$3 Million Proposal?
Our needs have been
analyzed in each of the last two years by two different groups of parishioners. Both groups came to the same conclusion that
this is a worthwhile solution and provides an excellent investment for our
Faith Community. This investment will
solve most all of our identified needs and provides the flexibility to carry us
into the future. The cost estimates are
reasonable at $106 / sq ft for the complete rebuild of the McCahill building
(Fellowship hall and Education area), $118 / sq ft for the new Administrative
space and $221 / sq ft for the new Gathering space. This is an average of $148 / sq ft for all of our new space. This is felt to be a very good value. The higher cost for the Gathering space is due
to the fact it carries the cost load of the new restrooms as well as the
elevator in addition to connections to both the Church and McCahill.
Is the Covered Entrance
Canopy Out Back Really Necessary?
When visiting area
parishes, the canopy was one of the most liked amenities to provide comfort
during inclement weather, which we often experience in
At this writing, the
canopy, which was bid at approximately $93,000, has been removed from the plan.
If we are able to fundraise more than the planned goal, campaign leaders have
agreed that this will be a top priority to have funding restored. Even if it is not included in the initial
construction all the necessary preparations, such as footings and attachments
will be built to assure it may be added with minimal cost and disruption.
Is It More Cost Effective
to Tear Down the School or Renovate It?
From reviewing square
footage costs, it has been determined that the current school could not be
demolished and a new facility (such as a one-story, slab on grade) be built
economically with the type of materials and quality necessary to support the
parish. The current renovation plan still is the one which is most cost
effective.
What Happens While We
Are In The Building Process?
We
could use the Villa Maria to hold Generations of Faith. We plan to utilize
trailers from the general contractor as offices. A local church has offered us the
use their facilities until our renovation is completed.
What is the Timeline
For Construction?
Once we know exactly
how much we fundraise, we will be able to start the renovation. We are hopeful
that this will occur next spring or summer (2008).
Is the General
Contractor Already Picked and
The Contract Signed?
No. We must complete this Second Phase Fundraising
to see how much money we are able to raise.
In order to enter into a contract we must have a current bid and be able
to see our way to funding the project.
The Diocesan regulations ask that we have 50% ($1,600,000) in cash and
the remaining 50% ($1,600,000) in pledges to be paid over a 5 year period. This is somewhat of a chicken and egg – which
came first – dilemma. We cannot get firm
pricing until we are able to bid the project and we cannot bid the project
until we know how much we have to spend.
The leadership team is
extremely optimistic that as the Faith Community understands what is being
proposed that they will give at a sacrificial level to make this project a
reality.
FUND RAISING CAMPAIGN
What Is
The Timing of The Fundraising Campaign?
Laying the foundation
for The Second Phase Fundraising reorganization will be completed by mid
November. This will include identification of prospective contributors, organizing
additional campaign leadership, completing a communications plan and developing
a complete and concise rationale to support the project. Most of the pledges
will be secured by spring of 2008.
What
Fundraising Events Will Be Planned?
This
Capital Campaign IS the fundraiser.
The campaign will not be asking you to buy baked goods, raffle tickets, or
attend special fundraising events except as awareness and exposure
opportunities for the campaign. We hope everyone in the parish will support the
project through a multi-year pledge or a contribution and will contribute as
generously as possible to the campaign. We now have two additional years to
remit pledges.
Why Should I Participate in the
A project of this magnitude has not been
undertaken since 1877 for this parish when 150 parishioners rallied together to
fundraise $20,600. Certainly this took sacrificial gifts from them so the
future generations could worship and enjoy St. Mary’s. Now is the time for us to take care of this
Parish entrusted to us and future generations.
What if
Someone Wants to Give an In-Kind Gift to the Project?
Campaign
leaders realize that in-kind support
is very important to the project. Raising cash funds, however, still must be
the first priority. Campaign leaders will be working to establish creative ways
for area contributors to fulfill potential in-kind gifts that could provide
much-needed support for the campaign. Please contact Greg Schreck or Ken Willers if
you are interested in this area.
What if
the Campaign Does Not Meet the Goal?
With the excitement that is being
generated for this project, we are confident enough money will be raised. We are especially confident due to the increased
participation and involvement which has been generated during the Second Phase
Fundraising Campaign. Parishioners who are skilled in this construction will be
working with the general contractor to value engineer the project for cost
containment. There are plans for some in-kind work to be done by parishioners
who have experience completing this type of work. Alternates may also be
identified which may be completed as funds become available.
What if
We Raise More Money than is Needed for the Project?
Contributed
funds, which are not needed for immediate construction expenses, will either be
directed to provide for future improvements or maintenance.
Do Most
Campaigns Find Contributors Fulfill Their Pledges?
Yes.
How Can
the Facility Be Built in the Next Year or Two, When Pledges are for Three Years
to Five Years?
According
to the fundraising consultant, typically one half of the dollars are paid in
the campaign’s first year in a three year pledge cycle. One-third comes in the
second year, and one sixth comes in the third year. Some people may choose to
give over 5 years so they can be more generous. Approximately $700,000 is
already secured in cash to help us get started. The Diocese will provide
financing for the project as the pledges are paid. Approximately $1.4 million
of the funds needed are already pledged or given. This is a great start. We
feel confident in our approach and the funding plan.
Will
People be asked for Significant Sums of Money?
Yes.
Most campaigns work on the premise that those who may have more financial
capability may be asked to consider giving at greater levels than
those who do not. Regardless of this, it will take the support of parishioners
with a stake in
Some People Have Said Potential Contributors
Will “Be Expected” to Give Certain Amounts.
The
first thing to remember is no one will be expected or coerced into giving a
pledge to this campaign. However, everyone in the parish will be asked to give.
That’s the only fair way to do it. This is the largest private fundraising
project undertaken since our parish was started. If this project is to become a
reality, everyone will be asked to consider gifts larger than they have ever
considered before.
How is
the Amount Determined People Will be Asked to Give?
Prospective
contributors will be asked to consider a pledge or
contribution in a range by reviewing the total amount needed to fundraise which
an amount that will be established based on their past giving history among
other factors. Those who have more
financial capacity then others may be asked to give more; it’s the only fair
way to do it. However, each individual must make a decision which makes sense
for them and their family.
Can You Explain
the Contract for the Fundraising Consultant?
The
consultant is paid on a part-time basis for the time served on the campaign and
not on how much is raised.
How Can I Help?
When
someone asks you for your involvement in the Capital Campaign, please say,
“Yes!” When you are asked to give, please
give generously! If you are interested
in getting involved, call Mark Nichols, 345-2428, Dennis Spano, 345-4884, Greg
Schreck at 345-2676 or Father Russell at 345-4134.